'Battlestar Galactica' Actor Says Series Finale Would Make Hitler CryFriday, December 05, 2008

There have been numerous interviews with Battlestar Galactica cast members since they finished filming the final episode earlier this year, and all of them have had wonderful things to say about the finale. Can the long-awaited ending of the Sci Fi Channel series possibly live up to the hype? I certainly hope so, but actor James Callis, who plays the devious Gaius Baltar on the series, just cranked the hype level up to 11 in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.

"Honestly you can't be disappointed," the actor said when speaking about the final episode. "I think if Adolf Hitler were back, he'd be crying in his handkerchief."

If any show can deliver a finale that's gut-wrenching enough to make Hitler weep, it's Battlestar Galactica. The series returns with the first of its final 10 episodes on Friday, January 16 at 10pm, with the final installment set to air on March 20. According to Callis, fans can expect the last moments of BSG to deliver an emotional gut punch. "I don't think anything could prepare you guys for what happens at the end," he teased. "We weren't prepared."

As if those comments aren't tantalizing enough, the actor went on to compare the finale to the famed 1812 Overture. "It's quite — do we use the phrase 'space opera'? There is something operatic about the ending of the show, only in the sense that it's like a full orchestra," he said. "Imagine every single person in the cast represents an instrument, and you've heard their theme or fugue. And then all the instruments play together. Everybody involved in this thing together — it's like the '1812 Overture.' Not only have you got all of the violins and the flutes, you've also got the flipping cannons they brought off Napoleon's ship, blowing off the roof. It's going off with a bang, this thing."

Callis is definitely launching our expectations into the stratosphere with his comments, but I doubt that he's being hyperbolic. Battlestar Galactica is one of the greatest shows in television history, and I have faith that executive producer Ronald D. Moore, as well as the cast and crew, can wrap things up in a satisfying manner. We'll find out when the series returns to the Sci Fi Channel on January 16.